We have a couple of plants labelled Cymbidium simulans which is given as a synonym of Cymbidium aliofolium and is a warm growing cymbidium.

We have seen Cymbidium aliofolium growing abundantly in seasonally dry hot forest in Sikkim, where as plants referred to as Cym. simulans are from Myanmar, Sumatra and Java. We like to keep the plants separate and keep the simulans label as the plants we have differ from our plants of Cymbidium aliofolium by being smaller and by having flowers with much more yellow in them and flowering at a different time of year.

We find these warm growing Cymbidiums respond well to growing in baskets hung high in our Warm Asia section where they grow hot and bright but we take care to keep them really wet during the summer (monsoon season in the natural habitat)

Our August Newsletter for the British Orchid Show and Congress hosted at Writhlington in November is now out. Click here to find all the up to date news about the event.

Several people have asked how the weather has affected our plants this year, with the snow in March and the heat wave since May, and one of the results has been some unusual flowering times.

Dendrobium thyrsiflorum usually flowers in April at Writhlington and did so again this year but with fewer flowers than usual. One possible reason was the prolonged dark days during the snows and cold weather as our thermal screening stays across when outside temperatures are below freezing.

This week the same plants are in flower again (several different clones) and the greenhouse is again dominated by their dramatic pendulous flower spikes.

This majestic species is native to Eastern Himalayas and South East Asia. We have seen it on school expeditions to Laos growing in the tops of tall trees in evergreen and semi deciduous forest at around 1000m where it experiences warm wet summers and a dryer cooler winter.

To reflect the natural habitat we grow the species in Warm Asia during the summer but move it to cool Americas for the winter.

We are delighted to have a lot of seed germinated from a cross between the two clones shown and this will be ready for sale in about eighteen months.

The last in our group of Stelis species is probably our most floriferous.

The name ‘nexipous’ means duck’s foot and describes the shape of the flowers which is unlike any other stelis in our collection. The dense spikes are very upright and secund (all the flowers facing one way) giving a dramatic display that lasts for several months.

The species is native to Ecuador and Peru where it is found in forests from 700-2400m and as less of a cloud forest specialist than some of the genus it is a strong rooting plant and robust species to grow.

We have several young plants coming on well and their attractive flowers will be a feature in Cool Americas for a good while to come.

We have another delightful Stelis species flowering for you today.

Stelis polyantha is has tiny flowers compared to the other Stelis species this week but they are a lovely soft pink colour.

The species comes from Ecuador where it is found in cloud forest at around 3000m. The small size of the flowers is made up for in the number of flowers per spike and the number of spikes produces that give a pinky ‘cloud’ around the plant when in flower.

We grow the species mounted and low down in Cool Americas where we keep it well watered and shady all year. The plant shown lives on a mesh tower sitting about 20cm above the floor and so as cool as it gets in the greenhouse on a hot day.